My 55 gallon reef project

[jnarowe]

You could, but like I said, they can get huge. Carpets can be difficult but I was more looking at the mini-carpets like Marc has. I personally wouldn't put a regular carpet in a reef tank. They have a tendency to eat fish.

Clowns are not very picky, so maybe something else might be better suited for them in your tank. Just a thought, and I don't see anyone else chiming in.

The thing about frogspawn and hammers is that they have a decent sting, so what I have seen in other people's systems is clowns hosting in them, but occassionally getting rashes. My hypothesis is that it happens when their slime coat sloughs off.

And you shouldn't have to pay for an anemone anyway. I would check around your local area to see if anyone has any babies. When they split, hobbiests usually look to find them a good home.

 

[dcombs44]

I'll look around the area to see what I can come up with. I may look into a mini-carpet as well. Thanks for the advice. Albeit, not exactly what I wanted to hear, but food for thought.

Thanks again.

 

[melev]

The mini carpets are about the size of a dime all the way up to a quarter. And I seriously doubt a clownfish would host in one.

If you want to add the BTA to your tank now, that's fine. The clowns will find it, or you can show it to them.

I've never heard that clowns help acclimate an anemone. If anything, I think they annoy the BTA, at least at first.

When I set up my angled tank, the clowns went in first, and then I added the Rose BTA. They ignored it for a couple of days. I went out of town, and came home to an anemone full of clowns. They've been there ever since.

Regarding stability in a 55g, I kept one for 2 years. As long as you are topping off daily and keeping the temperature consistent, the livestock should be fine.

 

[dcombs44]

Sounds good. I have an offer for a decent sized Green BTA from a St. Louis club member for $15. I figure that's much better than $50 from an LFS.

My temps stay constant day and night during the winter. Small swings during summer months, but only by a couple degrees.

I think I may give it a go and keep a close eye on it. I've got a good spot for it with plenty of light and flow (and away from other stuff). Assuming it stays there, it shouldn't be an issue for a while in my tank.

Here we go!

 

[jnarowe]

I didn't realize that the minis are that small! In that case, a clown might actually harrass it to death.

 

[melev]

I don't even know if a clown could handle their sting, honestly. Mine have never gone anywhere near the minis.

 

[dcombs44]

The clowns are doing well so far. The only issue to this point is that they spend a lot of their time at the surface of the QT tank. No, they're not gasping for air, that's just where they've been swimming. Sometimes, the dorsal fins even break the surface. They are not frantic, they react to me, and they are eating well, they just hang near the surface??

Should I be worried about this for any reason?
I'll post some pics later. The wife has snagged that home computer for now. (no photo software on this pc)

Also, after taking jnarrowe's advice, I've gotten several offers for BTAs. I'm going to have to make a pretty long drive wherever I go to get it, but cheap is good.

Finally, I've got a lobo brain (I think) that I've had for a while. It has 4 polyps. (I'll post a pic of this as well later). How fast do these guys grow, and do they often drop babies?

 

[melev]

No, that is not unusual.

However, clownfish may jump on occasion, so you might want to check your canopy area to make sure they land back in the water.

 

[Tbduval]

I wouldn't worry about it. My clowns hang out at the surface all the time. They almost jump out the tank to greet me when I walk in the room. They now swim around whole the tank and this started to happen and they have been in there 2 years. The only problem I have is they jump into my overflow every now and then.

 

[dcombs44]

Here are a few pics, headlined by my clowns and the brain (please ID the species if you can) that I was talking about.

 

[jnarowe]

lobos grow slow...don't think they drop babies either, but I could be wrong. Sometimes they can develop very interesting colors. I have one that looks mostly brown with some green, but under the right lighting will actually display neon green splashes of color.

Better to get an anemone right from another reef keeper and treat it right on the way home. Lots of water (like a 5g bucket), keep it warm, and acclimate slowly. Often they will not take food right away, but there's nothing wrong with trying. Some people including myself will feed them small fish but they also like raw shrimp, and I think that may be a better source of protein, with less by-product.

 

[melev]

This is a Finger Lobophytum. Nice pictures.

 

[dachsieholic]

reef project

reef project

Very impressive thread! Thanks for sharing all of your info and pictures with us! There is always so much to learn!

 

[dcombs44]

Re: reef project

Re: reef project

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11365856#post11365856 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dachsieholic
Very impressive thread! Thanks for sharing all of your info and pictures with us! There is always so much to learn!

No problem. I learn by posting my photos and sharing my info. Seems like something new every day.

Thanks

 

[dcombs44]

An update. The little clowns seem to be doing well. They eat well and hang out very close to each other at all times. It seems pairing these two up should be a breeze. They are touching at all times. They sleep together, swim together, etc. so that's a relief. I'm thinking two more weeks or so of good signs, and they'll probably be ready to go in the display.

I've had several offers for anemones in and around my area. I've had some offers for BTAs for $15, RBTAs for $25, and even an RBTA for $50 from a local reef club sponsor. Unfortunately none of these offers comes from any less than 1 hour away. It's a shame I live in a city of 115,000 people, and there are only a handful of reefers around here.

 

[jnarowe]

that just means you are special!!

And please, an hour is NOTHING to get a good specimen.

 

[melev]

Odds are there are many with reef tanks around you that are totally unaware of their neighboring hobbyists. You should consider forming a club.

 

[dcombs44]

Already thought of that.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1270028

It's in the works as we speak.

 

[dcombs44]

I've "completed" two reef related projects tonight. I've set up my "melev-style" phytoplankton culture station, and I've picked up a rose bubble tip anemone from a local reef club sponsor.

It wasn't cheap, but he gave me half off of retail and I was glad to support a local sponsor.

I RBTA went in the tank shortly after lights out. We'll see if he's found a cozy spot in the morning.

 

[dcombs44]

Well..........shucks. I came home today to another loss. One of my new clowns died in quarantine. Not sure the cause. Ate well yesterday, actively swimming. I found it stuck to the back of the powerhead in the QT tank today. It's just a mini jet, so not enough suction to trap it. It must have died and then got sucked into it.

Not what I wanted to come home to.